marshall



N. MA1 S HALL.l KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 288,648. A i Patented Nov. zo, 4188s;

(No Model.)

' N. MARSHALL.

KNITIING MACHINE.

No. 2881648. Paten-bed Nov. 2o, 188

5 sham-snede.' n

wo Model.) u

N. MARSHALL.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3. A

KNITTING MACHINE. I

' Patented Nov.' 20, 18

"ha l ...LA l\ (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

NQ MARSHALL.

KNITTING MACHINE. No. 288,648. Patented Nov. 20, 1883. l

(NoModel.) y 4 Y fil/sneens-sheet E N. MARSHALL.

-KNITTING MAGHINB. l No. '288.64814 Patenten Nov.' 20,1883.

Y, l-esi! i Invenw) MKZ/4,42.. @www .f UNITED g STATES PATENT FFICE j iNATHANIEL MARSHALL, on ARKWRIGHT. STREET, NOTTINGHAM, COUNTY ou NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR To w. s. THOMSON s oO., OF .`LONDON, linreLAND. l

. `,e :eno1rre lyr1onforming pm of Letters .Patent 'No.fzssqs, dated'mvembcr 2o, less. i' Application nur; May 20,1951. (Nnnoapm rahmen nl nnggnla ocfnter 2e, man, No. 4,315.

`[raised position is now carried past the com- .of'ArkwrightStreet, N ottingham,in he county pound presser-wheel, which consists of `disks Nottingham, England, have invented eerthat act upon selected needles only or upon '5 tain' Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of all theneedles, as the case maybe, depressing "*ivhich the following is a specification. their beards,'so as to allow ofthe formed loops *.*fThe object-of `this invention is to'produce -ontheneedle-stems beingforeedontothebeards jspots, checks, diaper patterns in one or l' ofthe needles, ready to interlock with the inif nore colors 1n hosiery and other goods hyeii prisoned threads, and form therewith a fresh no. ular-knitting machines. Attempts have alcourse of work. As the thread passes from 1., ready been made tjo regulate automatically the the presser, it will come under the action of an 6o "c supply ,of colored threads tosuch machines -additional diifider-wheel, for the purpose toy i forthe purpose of producing circular stripes; b'e presently explained;`- After this, aknock- 5' and it is by a modification of the meehzmismY ing-over wheel will come in toaction, to push `r.5` ;used.fo r this purposethat Iam .enabledatoLtheiormecl loopsoverthe-neV e back "jblreak up into parts the circular stripes and thereof. \Vhile thatportionofthe-presser 65 -produce instead'thercof detached patterns.v disk is in action which presses' only selected 'This I effect, mainly-by the introduction of a needles, two, three, or even fourlaps of thread compound `wheel which will impl-ess. sel may belaid around thecircularhead. It will 2o leeted needles or` press all the needles, as deg vthen benecessary to press all the needles, not i sired To an ordinary circular head fitted only to preventtoo largeanaccummulation of 7o with beardedV needles l apply two or more .thread under the beards of theimpressednee'- v.thread-layers, which arc capable of being dles, butto prevent too'greatj a distortion of rocked into and out of position -by means of theknitted work. When bringinginto action.

' `2 5 .an endless chain oftappetsaeting on their rear the plain disk, or that part ofthe presser which lends. A tendency is given lo these threadi acts upon all the needles, a shifting of the 75 'carriers by means of springs torise ,out of acvthread-layers will at the same time take tion, and in either -of their' extreme positions i place. 'lhis'shifting will be effected, as before i -they are locked byl means of a spring-hinged stated,fby the `:ehainof tappets, which in the 3o catch-bar. For tlmpurpose ofdepressing the act of'forcing down a fresh threadlayer into threadfcarriers, sc as to present the required place will` tip 'the hinged spring-catch, and 8o threadto the needles, Kthe endless chain of ta'pf .thereby release the threzul-layer last in use,

pets is employed.' This chain is driven by ,I and allowit to rise out of action. lhis done,` gearing' from the centra-l shaft of the machine, the catch will return toits locking position. 3 5 and. it thus receives a traverse motion timed The act of depressing athreaddayer to bring relatively to the rotation of the circular head. i tinto use will cause the arm of ascissor-blade 8 5 As a thread is presented to the `ring of neeto rock, and thereby close that blade upon alv dies, it will be laid bythe rotation ofthe ring fixed bladej'over the edge of `which the thread. b of needles around thehe d, the thread being last laid inthe machine is drawn.'l This clos i 4 0 guidedto its proper le'vel ity alxed guide, and ing of thescissors will sever the thread, and then carried round under the action of a se Vits loose end will becaught ina brush pro- 9o ries of wheels, which completes` the knitting ofthe fabric. The thread will come lirst unl der the action ofthe loopen-wheel, which will press in the thread, so as to indent it or provide the requisite amount of slack. The thread i thus-inde'ntedwilly pass under the action of thedivider-Wheel, which' divides thethreads niQrecaref-ullvintoloops andraisesthemlundcr scissorswill be repeatedafter every change of thread. A loose-end will thus be presented. 1 bythe work, and it is'forthe purpose of'. draw,

ing suchend Within the-knitted fabricthat'the "dividing-wheel, situate between thejpresser `wheel andthe knockingfgover wheel, is pro vided- 'lhecsimiwuinteresser its simi vthe-.beards of theneedlcsi The threadin this' 5o vided for that purpose. i This action ofthe f form will consist of -an indented or toothed tion.

disk cut to suit the desired pattern. and. mounted loosely on a vertical spindle, which free'to t-nrn inaJ socket-bearing. of an ad-l j ustable bracket-arm. Attached to this spindle is a plain, or itvmay be atoothed, disk, which, when in action, will' oye'rlic the gaps in the pattern-disk and press all the needles presented to it.` ,lhe spindle of this'l wheel bears upon a rock-leper,-.wl1ich is raised by means ofta.p- .pets entire chain., beforenientioned, for the`A purposeof keeping the plain diskont of ac- When the rock-.lever is released from this pressure,'it'will by the action of aspring bedrawn down to alevel to act upon the beards of theneedles.4 i y.Infthe accompanying drawings, AFigure 1 is a plan View, and Fig. 2 an elevation, of a circular-,knitting machine arrangedaceording to my invention,- `fivev thread layers -being eni ployed for throwing into the work at pleasure any one of the ii've dii'eren't threads',

In these figures, 'A isthe'in'ain framing, fui. "nished with a central pin, upon' which the eircular head is mounted. 'l A A B is/la'cylfnder, of east-iron, mounted on the ecntral'pili,'andvfrce to rotate thcreon.-l This' cylinder carries a ringot' vertical bearded needlesfv, whiehxare castinpleads, as usual, and are made fast to their cylinder segment. elanipingplates B. Attached to the under side ot' the cylinder, or east therewith, is a concentric bevel-whcel,:ll'i, which gearsinto al bcvelpinion, .13,011 a horizontal drivin'gshaft, Bi, which shaft-has.its'bearings in'theA main framingA, and it is bythe rotation 'ofthis shaft that the ring of needles iscauscd ro turn aroundthe central bearing-pin.` 4 is a spur-wheel attachedtotheunderside of the cylinder B, and serving toconnnunicatc motion through suit-able gearing to an endlessA tappet-chain, C. This chain is laid overa chain-wheel, C', which is mounted loosely on a stud-axle carried by a bracket-casting, C, which-is bolted tothe main frame A.

Castywitl'i the `chain-wheel' C is a worm'- wheel, C", into which gears a worxn,`,C', vkeyed toa horizontal shalt, 0", which has its bearings in the main frame A. Fitted to this shaft by means of 'a "feat-her is a `bevel-pinion, C, which gears into a bevelfipinioii, BT, east with a spurlpinion, B, which gears into the spurwheel B, bei'ore mentioned," 1 These spur and eac is' Y, y

ried by the chain Cf At the rear of these threadguides (see detae Fig, 3) isa V@ shaped projection, `'spring catch-bar, D, to bear against, retain any one Aer moreel the threadin 'a raised 'or a depressed position.V this catch-bar bears on the upper side ci the V projection das shownbythe dotted lin the thread-guide to which that projeetic'ni'be longs will beinl its normal oeraisedposition, it being drawnnp after depression-by therten sion of a coiled-spring, D, which eonnectsiitvr with a fixed ba'r, DT, that' constitntes a for the several threads o the tlireadcarriers, This guidebaris l.iolte"' a bracketnrzn, (El, attached to the lbracke, cast-ing dering them pressionpt the threadlgdides, lt l into the drawn position oil/Fig." 'for laying.; thread under the beards yof. the needles b, is f effected by the' 'pressureof special` 4tappets "upon the inclined proj ect-ions d. Asihe rear eiid'fofwany ,ne of thefthr ad-guides forced np ward by Di will yield and allow the'projeetion d to pass position-of Fig. :l underthelprojectiojn dland ythereby retain the tlireadlgnide'at a level bel soon, howeyer, as a l'ijeslitappet comes np to this press/ure, the spring eatchbar .low `the beards ol theringetnreedlcs. .So

actup'on another thread-guide, the projection j d oitiiat threadguide willl'trip up the catch-l bar D, thereby releasing the threadgnides which it had' locked in a depressed,position, and leaving itireeto rise'ont of work.I Vvhen" a threadguide is. rcqui red to ,ibo thrown ont of action, another th readguide will 'ha'vevto take itspliwe,1 ,As iliismovementis elieetedthe. first threadguide will be disengaged from 'the catch-bar, and its 'coiled spring D willbe lfree Ico tocoine into action and raise 'the thread-guide,"

up tothe4 dotted or inaetigve positionl of Fig.,

, The thread-may be drawn from spools situate `in anyconvenient position and led through the threadgnide bar D? tp the eyes of the ser! the saine bracket, Cl.' rl'his lever Ef carries aA bowl, e, which stands in iront. incline, df', projecting. from `theunder edgcof these eral tlireadearrie'i-s.

rJlhis blade lies ho1'izontally,'and' Vfhen, th erore, any' @eral threzntearriers, and thence to a 'nxed one of the threadcarriers-say' D-isde pressed to bring its thread into use, 'the previ-- ously-deprcssed thread-carrier-#say ,l-Will require to have its thread severed to `disen` gage it from the work. This, it will be seen,

is effected by the pressure of the incline d2 of the depressed tlnead-carriervD coming into eontaetwith-the bowl c', and thereby rocking the crank-lever l, which, through 4the 5 lpin e, will `close` the moving blade ot' the A scissors onto the lixed blade, and thereby severthe thread whielithe ascending thread guide had 'so placed as to be ready (by the coutinued traverse ofthe needles) to.be drawn into Io the required position for being severed. Be-

fore, however, this aetiofhas taken place, the thread will have been caught by the brush D", and its end will thus be secured ready for renewingtheknit-tingoperationwiththatthread.

' I5 The thread-guides are made ol' thin steel, and

to seenre compactness and to prevent all tendene) to torsion a comb-guide, D, is provided for them to work in. This will also steady their movements,I which, as before explained, 2o are independent the one ofthe other, th'usneeessitating the mounting ot' the thread-guides loos/ely on their eonnnon fnlernm pin or sup; port. y To insure the threads being broughtinto lille withtllclooperwheel, a iixed guide, F, is provided, which, being slightly inclined'. upward, leads the thread, as it is drawn 4forward by the rotation of the ring of needles, i mmediately under the action of the 3o G.

' on the seguieritz-shaped i'rame Af.

which carries the adjustable spindle of the A wheel serves also tn support the tlneadgnide bar lil.' 4 f lhethrezul, al'ter being pressed by the looper-wbeel upon the stems ol' the needles b,

in a manner to provide, tlnfrequisite slaek'ior the knitting, next passes under the action ot 40 the divider-wheel t?, which ydivides 'up or equalizes the slack a-nd pushes the thread un` der the bea-rds ot' the, need-les. This dividerwheel is mounted in a similar manner to the louper-wheel, and nponthe same segmentframe, A'. The needles are now ready to be pressed, and their conti nued travel brings'them under the action of the presser-disk H, which is` eut to suit the pat-tern intendedto be vproduced. This disk is supported upon a bracketai-m, H', carried by an adjustable bracket,

H2, on the segment-frame A.

' hnb ot the presser-disk ll, Qsee'Fig. 4,) and through a socket in the bracket-ar1n H', passes a' vertical spindle, Il, which serves as auaxle for the presser-disk ll to rotate on, and ear# ries also a presscrdisk,Il, which, fwhen in ,position for knitting, will lie closey to the disk H, and `will press the beards of all the needles )as they are brought ronndfthelfcbyneutraliz-- 6o ingtliexetl'ect of'the:.f-inispressing??wheel H,

The spindlelof this disk Hf-rests upon .a lever;

tairqrthis leveris depressed, the disk-Hann .be raised, `j,Will-"be free; to act nponselected needle thereby prdncethe rvefqnired` 4) looper-wheel The lool'ier-wheel G is constructed andr mounted in the ordinary manner, the bracket G, which carri es it, being adjustable vertically The socket,

Th rough the and when 'the al plate, A12,

l ate within the ring ot' needles, `on thef central' plate,

bytheaidlof work. The .tail 'of the lever H5 is acted upon by the rocking lever HT, which is'inonnt-ed on the fnleruni D that'earries the thread-guides,

and is so shaped at its rear as to .receive the' 7o pressure of tappets h, carried by the traveling Vchain C.' These tappets are so arranged asv to cause the levers Hland Hij to lift the presser-V disk Ht, and hold it 'out ot' action'while the pattern is' bein-g worked,aud then to' release the' presserldisk Ht, and leave it free to drop upon and cover the patterned disk-presser, in order. that 'the plain lknitting maybejrc-` sinned. When it is desired to'alter the pat= tern, itrwill only be necessary to lift ont the compound presser, to' ehalrge the presserdiskHH for another of the required pattern, and lthen to replace the-disks in the machine. p On the beards ot' the needles being closed, n as above'explained, the loops of-thelast row 85 knitted on the needles are lifted in' succession up onto the beards by means of the tiandingl j wheel I, which wheel is monntedonthe e'en-v and, like the other disks, the looper. dividelg'alul pif-essenwheel, gears with the stenis of the needles. The further progress of the ring o t' needles brings the thread which is under the beardsof the needles opposite a second or additionaldivider-wheel, G, which equalizes the size of theloopsk and causes the loose-ends to be taken up into the work, which loose ends are due tothe shiftingot' the threads" into and out of use and the veuttingotf vof those threads which .have been thrown 4out ot' use. 1 This divider-wheel is mounted looselycna y10c vertical pin which is1 fast .cna-bracket bolted to the frame A. IThe knitting n ow proceeds as in the ordinary circnlarheml machines`- that isto say, the work is broughtnnder the, action.v Aof a knocking --over wheel, K, situ.- ro5 and supported .Ar.l By. this wheel 1 theiornied lq; op's are forced voff the "needles, the act-ion being assisted -b'y an upward drag put'npon the worku. The further rotation of the ring of needles bringsthe newly-formed `loops under 'a fixed-guilde, L, within the ring of needles', whichguide, assisted by a wheel,

needles, will depress the loops to a"po'sition onl the `iieedl esteiiis suitable for the commencementoff`a new row" of loops.-l` 3- v'q- As the-working of this classof knitting nia# f ehinery isi wellnnderstood, it will not be nfee]- i the several. insru'gientsemployed npredlcthe no e 4 i Fig. 5 shows the fac" oilfront," and Fig, the' back', 'of apieceof work eg ual in widthV t eight needles 4and '.o'f" :depth ef sevjen'jloppsnY v `lhisavork is supposed o 'eon` f'rpllillfaiidacolored"threadfthe'plin forming thelgroun thought inceste;v le 'ff f' i. i ossea@ f the plain tli'readfu'ntil', .bythe depression of a 4needles l M ,K y y to prodncethe spot, and-the 'oth'erlii'eedles be'-,

l -is represented/by two loopsinbre'adth andV three in depth'. '4 Consequently the' ring of needles will have to make 'three'rotations before, `a spot 'is completed. This'havingtaken place,

the presser-disk'll will be 'allwedvto drop in-. to the 'acting 'positioin read-y to fpress upon the beards oi' all theheedles 'at thez next rotation' per and lower prongs of a'forkedcxtesion' of the ordinary adjustable bracket-arm, HZ? The of thering, and therebyproducei'an unbroken line ofloopsl` Before, however, Ythis is effected, the'tl-iread-carrier," with its colored thread, p must belifted ont offaction and replaced by the plain-thread carrier'in the manner already explained, at whiehtimethe scissor-.blade will be caused t-o sever the colored thread and leave a loose end'in the work. Itis 'to insure the knottin'g of this loose end7 into-fthe work,

whether it be a colored or a plain thread,that

the additional dividerwheel G is provided.

d It may be found `desirable to provide two or more patterned disks, which'I will b'elbrought into action as requii'ed'lto 'introduce varieties of patterns by vary'ingthe tuekingv of thev work. Insuch case the plainy presser-disk is situate between the two patterned disks, and it is thrown into or out of action, .as desired. This modificationis" illustratedatlligs. 6, 7 and 8, where Fig'G Ais an elevation of the com pound presser detached fronrthe' machine. Fig. 7 is' an elcvatio' i oft 1e partsfof the ma-y chine used in'actuatiig t e pyesserfand Fig. '8 is' Aa plan' view ofl the/fsa' reptile/presser in the latter-view being'vsho'w in placa 'In this ex# ample, H aiid" I-I li arq "the'p tterned'pr'ess'erf disks,l and (H. is ythepla-in pyesserldisk, 'which 'i tween the-.two

patterned disksahd "/U by means, ol'the'tappget d y presser-disks 'stud-axlesor` pins, which'farefeach carried /ni'ountedin a jiiurnalv4 formedx to receivetlplerriuy the-ends of the uppin H3 'of the upper pressendisk, H*, passes through ythe bearing' in the upper prong' of the arni H, and is embraced bythe prongs` ofthe forked rocking lever H, whichserves' to liftvit out o'f work.y The'fulcruni'of this'rock-lever' is carried by a bracket that iis' boltedvtoathe segmentframe AL' The rocking'of this lever H5 iseifected' through a lever,'Hl, and tappetchain 0,"as" before explained. The-disk H* is mounted'loosely ona pin' 'carried by a 'hori' zontal crankedlever, HB, .having its fulcrum on a Vertical pin, H613 Carried by the bracket Hw from theV segment-frame A. The tail of the aitvmatically. in C. These cut l cranked lcverH is brought under the action of a roclolevei, H, mounted by the side. of thev rock-lever H, and, like it, brought. into action by suit-able tappets on the'tappet-ehain C.

" them, which pressure can be regulated by ,the

'ingpositiong but when patternfwork is re-l ltappet on the tappet-chain raising the underlyingrearfend ofthe lever H", and one or both disks will be such relatively to each other that the lower, H, will produce a given pattern. The upper disk, when brought to. acty with the lower one, will act so as not to be interfered with bythe lower disk, or only in some determined degree'.` So soon-as the pattern is com'- pleted, the upper disk, Hl, will be raised out of action, and, the lower disk, 1I,fwill either be allowed to act alone or the disk Hl will be advanced, so as ,to press all the needles and `produce the ordinary plain work.

By'mounting the compound. presser-wheel so that the disks composing it' shall be raised the needles, the acting surfaces of Vsaid disks needles', no injurious bending of.I the needles -can take, place, as is vliable to be the case where the movement of the disks is at right angles to the needles, 'and their-throw may accident-v ally beso great as to effect such injury to the needles or their beards. 4 .lflavin'g now set forth the nature of my inery and:explained the mannerof carrying the same1 into effect, I wish it to be understood t-hat I claim- `der, i needles,l and automatically chang-ing press the y,beards of all the needles or to misoperating lto produce a conjoint'action rof the :said' guides and presser iirknittinglspots `,ehecl' s,fzor. diaper patterns,` substantially as described. v n 1 l f .v

2'. The combination, with the bearded neea fixe'd axis,vv and aplain diskfinounted upon'a movable axis, and means for reciprocatingfsaid plainv diskin a direction parallel with thenceinto and thrown. ont Y'of operativeposition, substantially as described.

'dles of a knitting-machine, of a rotary presser setscrew H Vhen, therefore, plainknitting. is 1equired,the disk H* will be held in its work-I,y

of the disks H and il* will press the beards of the advancing needles. ,The cut of these two out of and lowered into working conta'ct'withv Vcal plane parallel with that occupiedby thev threadgni-des, vof a` compound, presser con.- l structed and automatically operated so, Ias `to* 3. rlhe combination, with the'bearded neen .7o H is a coiled spring, which will cause the presser-disk ll to be held against the beards ofthe needles with sufficient pressure to. close i quired, 'it will be drawn back ont of action, a p.

always preserve their adjusted relation to the. beards of the needles, and, moving' in a verti- IOOA vention of improvements in knitting machind. t

'press a portionofthem,anda tappet-chain -dl'esy o'f a knittingmachjine, of a rotary presser. k'consisting ofa patterned disk revolving upon` dles, whereby. saidplain disk may be brought v 

